In November 2011, the Russian space agency launched the much-anticipated Mars probe called Phobos-Grunt (which means “Phobos dirt” or “ground”), which would go to the Red Planet, soft-land a probe on the tiny moon Phobos, and return a sample of the surface to Earth. Unfortunately, the booster that would take it from Earth orbit into a Mars-intercept trajectory failed to fire, stranding the spacecraft in low-Earth orbit. Atmospheric drag has doomed the mission; it will most likely burn up sometime in the next two weeks.

I’ve been following this story a little bit since I learned about the ten species that were being sent up to the Martian moon to learn if living organisms could survive the 3-year, out-and-back journey.

These are unusual microscopic multicellular invertebrates that can survive being dried out (dessication) and revived as long as a year later. Their ability to survive hostile conditions where any self-respecting organism would die is the reason they are called extremophiles.

4 Responses to Could tardigrades survive re-entry?

But I doubt very much that they will be able to survive directly burning up, sans spacecraft, as Phobos-Grunt disintegrates over the Pacific Ocean within minutes.

The LIFE module is located inside the Phobos-Grunt sample return capsule, which is designed to survive reentry and a hard (no parachutes or retrorockets) landing. Thus, there is at least slim chance that the experiment can be recovered should the capsule, or fragments of it, hit land.

Here’s a thing about tardigrades that everyone forgets. They’re famously invincible to a wide variety of environmental and chemical threats. But as Jonsson once told me, they’re “vulnerable to mechanical damage”. They can still be squished easily enough.

Thanks for the great article, David !
Too bad the Russian mission didn’t work out as planned. I hope there will be other similar missions. I’ve posted a bit about it (in the early phase) on my site: http://www.tardigrade.us

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About the author

David Kroll, the writer also still known as Abel Pharmboy, is a university professor in the southern United States specializing in science and health writing, public understanding of science and medicine, and the identification of drugs from natural sources. David earned his PhD in pharmacology and therapeutics and a BS in toxicology. He speaks here on general issues of pharmacology, toxicology, and therapeutics, and is especially dedicated to the professional development of scientists from underrepresented groups, including first-generation college students and low-wealth students from all backgrounds.

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